Thursday, March 14, 2013

The Best-Kept Secrets in Bourbon Are Hiding in Plain Sight

There are some really terrific bourbons out there that most people overlook. In many cases they are old brands that the manufacturers sell but don't support. Some offer a chance to taste something a little different, others are among the best bourbons you can buy, and all are great values. While a few have limited distribution, many are hiding in plain sight at your neighborhood whiskey monger.

A prime example is Weller 12-Year-Old. This wheated bourbon from Sazerac is right up there with the very best bourbons available today, and it costs less than $30 a bottle in most places. A few years ago it was in very short supply but now seems readily available. If you are pining for Pappy but have never had Weller 12, what's wrong with you?

At the other end of the spectrum is Very Old Barton, another Sazerac product. It is a 6-year-old, rye-recipe bourbon that used to be sold only in Kentucky and a few southern states. In Kentucky, it is very popular and competes head-to-head with Jim Beam and Jack Daniel's. It is now more widely available but not national. Unless you drink 1792 or Ten High, you've probably never tasted a bourbon from this distillery. Very Old Barton is a solid, reliable, standard bourbon that usually sells for less than $20, often a lot less.

Old Forester is the brand that launched Brown-Forman 143 years ago. It was the first bourbon to be sold only in bottles. It has the same recipe as Woodford Reserve. The 86° proof (43% ABV) is usually about $20 and the 100° proof (50% ABV) is usually about $25. Again, it is just a good, solid, dependable rye-recipe bourbon at an excellent price.

Old Grand-Dad, discussed here on Monday, is one of the few high-rye bourbons and definitely the least expensive one. Its bonded expression has long been the best-selling bonded bourbon in the country. The bond usually sells for about $20, the 80° proof (40% ABV) is about $17. It's made by Beam.

Also from Beam is Jim Beam Black Label, which is 8-years-old, 86° proof (43% ABV), and about $22 a bottle. Compare that to Knob Creek, which is the same juice at 9-years-old and 100° proof (50% ABV), and about $30. Even though it carries the Jim Beam name, or perhaps because of it, many bourbon fans overlook this superb value. It's available everywhere.

Evan Williams Black Label is Heaven Hill's flagship brand and the #3 best-selling American whiskey, after Jack and Jim. Again it's a good, solid, standard rye-recipe bourbon, selling in many places for around $10.

No one who really knows bourbon would turn their nose up at any of these.

40 comments:

Right on (as we used to say in the 60s)! Each of the bourbons you list is of first quality. If I lived someplace where only these bourbons were available, I'd save a heap of money yet still be drinking among the best. Of course, I'd miss one brand in this mythical realm of limited selection - Buffalo Trace. To my taste, there is nothing better at any price. And the price is comparable to some you mentioned in your post. Fact is, excellent bourbon is widely available at really low prices. But sometimes it's fun to spend a lot more. The resulting lightness in your wallet leads to anticipation of lightness in your head as the pricey stuff is consumed. Plus, you get to post pictures of your expensive booze bottles on your favorite bourbon forum site.

I completely agree on the Weller 12. Fantastic bourbon, and unbeatable at $21-23 in Central Texas.

I recently picked up a bottle of Very Old Barton 86 proof. Only one bottle on the shelf at a store I stopped at while driving by (never been in before). It was $12. I picked it up, remembered that other reviewers liked it, put it back down because "it can't be good for only $12?!?", and finally grabbed it again. I'm glad I did. It has a good flavor profile and progression, but everything is just "shortened."

I completely agree with what you said. I would have added the new expression Larceny to your list. If you go the next step up in good value, I would put Four Roses Small Batch and Elijah Craig 12 year old.

Great list! Two other common ones under $30 are Four Roses Small Batch and Elijah Craig 12, which I find new things to love each time I try them. Old Fitzgerald Bonded is one of the best cheap bourbons out there as well.

Love this piece, Chuck, but my Jim Beam Black bottles read 86-pf, not 90. The "Distiller's Series", is 90-pf and 7-years old (the bottle with Fred Noe's smiling face on it, for anyone not familiar with it)

VOB 6-yr, 100-pf is the most amaing Bourbon bargain in the world, I think. I sell it for $13.99. Hope I didn't just jinx it!

You can't forget Elijah Craig 12 at $24, and Elijah Craig 18 when it was available was a steal at $48! I mean how many good quality 18 year old bourbons can you get for under $50? Unfortunately, the answer today may be zero

These are all great offers at great prices. In OK, the VOB is $11 a bottle. At that price it is the best bang for your bourbon buck on any shelf. I keep bottles of this bunkered and decant it into a nice crystal decanter when company comes over. NO ONE ever guesses that its not a "top shelf" bourbon.

The Weller 12 is an excellent value. Luckily my local store has a good stockpile as well as OGD 114 and BIB. I still have my eye on a 17yr Vintage on a local shelf for $65. Just can't pull the trigger when I've already got an unopened bottle on mine.

Oh, I had forgotten about the OGD 114. I have a bottle tucked away that I expect will be opened tonight.

That's one of the things I love about this sort of post: Chuck gets a great list started, others weigh in, I learn more and maybe remember a bottle I have hidden from the wife, ...er, tucked away at the back of a higher shelf and had forgotten. Happy Friday.

One of my favorites not yet mentioned is Old Charter 10 yr. I get all slobbery just thinking about a glass of it served neat, or maybe splashed with the tiniest bit of water. And as for "David D.," maybe vodka is more his thing.

Mr Cowdery, great list. I have been a bourbon drinker for years and have just discovered the whiskey blog world. Man, am I learning stuff. I have a question for you. Is there a "family tree" of bourbons anywhere? It weems that one label aged a year or two more becomes another label and another price.

Hi Chuck: I think I might do a roundup of these "great bourbons you may have overlooked" on the menu this Spring at the Flatiron, brought to you by Chuck Cowdery. It's a really fun list. Thanks. Heather Greene

Interesting article. Of those originally listed, I like the Weller 12 far above the others. VOB is solid for it's price point. I don't really care for OGD, OF, or JBB, but that's more my preference than their quality. I propose one other contender - Wild Turkey 101. I don't think it holds up well after opening and getting dusty on a shelf, but out of a new bottle, it's got lots of likable character.